5 posts tagged “joy”
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven,
with a loud command,
with the voice of the archangel
and with the trumpet call of God,
and the dead in Christ will rise first.
-1 Thessalonians 4:16 NIV
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I am fascinated with verse 16, chapter 4 of Paul's first letter to the church in Thessalonica.
Thessalonica was a city of 200,000 inhabitants, the capital of ancient Macedonia, now known as Greece.
Paul wrote to the church there and, among many other things, spoke about the second coming of Christ.
When Christ comes down from heaven, three things will happen before we see Him.
- First, we will hear a loud command. I believe the command will be to look up!
- Then we will hear the voice of the archangel, Michael. He is the great warrior angel of God, leader of all the good angels. I believe he will announce that Christ is about to appear!
- Third and last, we will hear the trumpet call of God.
The trumpet call of God. It's "of God." It's from heaven. Will God the Father blow the trumpet? I don't know, but it's implied by the words "of God," I think.
In ancient Israel, they had trumpets. Perhaps the most well known instrument of God's people then was the ram's horn, also called a shofar. It was the ram's horn, hollowed out, with an opening at the narrow end. When air is blown into the ram's horn, it sounds.
There were also trumpets made from metal, looking very much like trumpet horns we see today.
It seems altogether fitting that Christ's second coming should come with a succession of events.
The loud command, first.
The voice of the archangel Michael, second.
And then, just before Christ descends to be seen, the great trumpet call of God.
Will it be one great blast of the trumpet call or several in quick succession?
I happen to think it may be three great blasts that will be sounded.
I don't think an angel will blow the trumpet.
I don't think Michael the archangel will do it, either.
I think it will be God himself.
The trumpet call of God.
Are you ready to hear it?
It sounds to signal the imminent return of Christ from the heavens.
"From whence He shall come" we say in The Apostles' Creed.
Christ has died. Christ is risen.
Christ shall come again!
I am looking forward to that Day.
I will not be surprised by it, but delighted.
Until then, I live in expectant hope for His return to claim us as His own, forever.
I live in thanksgiving for the salvation He imparts to all who believe in Him and seek to follow in His steps.
I live in joy that He is my Savior and Lord.
I walk today, tomorrow, and until He comes, in His peace, a peace that passes understanding.
Glory be to God!
1 Thessalonians 4:16 NIV:
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
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I am studying 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 this week. I am fascinated with verse 16, above.
What is the loud command given when He comes down from heaven? Does Christ give the command or someone else?
I think the loud command is a great "Hark!" It sounds dramatic enough. Or maybe it's "Behold!" Or perhaps it is "Look out below!"
The Lord himself will come again. He will come with a loud command. We don't know what he will command us, but it will be loud. Of that we can be sure. It will be so loud that everyone will hear it, even when jackhammers are jackhammering. Will it be so loud that it hurts our ears?
It makes me remember being in school and hearing the morning announcements begin over the P.A. (public address) system.
I also think of when sailors hear their Captain say over the P.A. system, "Now hear this!"
Whatever the loud command is, it is meant, no doubt, to get our attention, to stop what we're doing, and just listen. We need to ready ourselves to do just that.
The Lord's return will happen, says Paul. He wanted to reassure the Christians in Thessalonica that Christ was coming again.
"Now hear this!" Christ will come with a loud command.
As I think about this verse, I ready myself for that moment. When it happens, I will not count it as a surprise. I will look forward to the return of Christ with joy and anticipation.
In the meantime, I will enjoy His daily presence, communicated by the Holy Spirit, by which Christ is "with us always," just as He promised!
On Wednesday afternoon, August 13, 2008, our 5th & 6th graders Adventure Camp at Camp Manidokan, Knoxville, Maryland, participated in "The Flying Squirrel" high adventure.
Here are pictures of one camper as he was readied for launch, ascended, and made it into the tree tops, raised and lowered, safely, by the rest of the campers.
Psalm 149:5-9:
Let the saints be joyful in glory;
Let them sing aloud on their beds,
Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,
And a two-edged sword in their hand,
To execute vengeance on the nations,
And punishment on the peoples;
To bind their kings with chains,
And their nobles with fetters of iron;
To execute on them the written judgment --
This honor have all His saints.
Praise the Lord!
In the first four verses of Psalm 149 we are called to praise the Lord with a new song, for the saints to assemble and rejoice in God, our Maker, heavenly Father, and King, with dancing, singing, and the playing of musical instruments. If we humble ourselves in praising, God will take pleasure in us and beautify us with salvation.
The last five verses of Psalm 149, shown above, also call us to rejoice, to sing, and to praise God.
Then the honor of the saints is revealed.
What is the honor of the saints?
According to the Psalmist, the saints will be given a task to do. It is to carry out God's written judgment upon the nations, peoples, kings, and nobles.
It is an execution of vengeance with the two-edged sword. It is no less than punishment. Kings and nobles will be bound in chains and fettered in irons.
At first glance, this part of the Psalm appears less than Christian. Swords? Vengeance? Punishment? Binding and fettering?
And yet, it's right there in the Bible, the same Word that our Lord said will stand forever. The same Word that Jesus said he came to keep, to fulfill, not wanting to remove even a jot or a tittle.
So what are we to do with this part of Psalm 149?
The more important question is, I think, what does it have to do with us? After all, who are we to question its wisdom?
I seem to remember Jesus speaking early and often of a Day of Judgment, of a separating of the sheep from the goats. I recall our Lord predicting His triumphant return, to establish His Kingdom on earth, as it is already in Heaven. The final chapters of the Bible, in the Revelation to John, speak of that coming Day.
What is the honor of the saints, then?
It is just this, to execute judgment on that great Day of the Lord only upon the written judgment of God.
God is a just Judge and I have no doubt that His judgments in that Day will be fair and justified.
The vengeance and punishment and written judgment of God will someday come.
This Psalm, taken in its entirety, speaks of a day of praise, a time of rejoicing, a time even of rest and renewal, before the great and terrible Day of the Lord.
Yes, I believe that our Lord will come again "to judge the quick [the living] and the dead."
The honor of "all the saints" is to participate in God's judgment.
Until that Day, let's live each day as God wants us to:
- Loving God with all our heart and mind and soul and strength
- Loving our neighbor as ourselves
- Loving one another as Christ loved us.
Come, Lord Jesus!
Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;
Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
Psalm 149:2 [NKJV]
This verse calls me to rejoice in my Maker.
I am fearfully and wonderfully made, the Psalmist tells me in another place. The apostle Paul says that the human body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. In other words, when Jesus said, "And lo, I will be with you always," he meant it.
God made me. God lives in my body, mind, and spirit. So I let myself rejoice in my Maker, the One who still lives in me, no less now than he did when the Bible's teachings were God-breathed.
How do I rejoice in my Maker? Well, I use my body, mind, and spirit to glorify God in whatever way I can. Love is spelled T-I-M-E. So I spend time with God, too. In prayer, Bible reading, silent meditation, in conversations with other believers, and communing with God in nature and through the arts.
The Psalmist reminds me that I am a child of Zion. God is my heavenly Father, who loves me unconditionally, and wants only what's best for me. God has many children. Yet God uniquely loves and cares for each one, according to his or her special nature, gifts, graces, and abilities.
Today I will rejoice in God, my Maker, my loving Father, and my King, the One who rules heaven and earth, whose gentle but firm hand guides, directs, and shows me the Way I should follow.
Will you rejoice with me today?
